Irish thinking deep thoughts

Notre Dame looking to Tate, Floyd for home-run threat

August 31, 2008|By Brian Hamilton, Tribune reporter

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — A year ago, because of the dubious combo of excess athleticism and limited playbook comprehension, Golden Tate's football marching orders sounded oddly like an Olympic sprinter's game plan: Run. Straight. Fast.

A year ago, because of his need to finish high school, Michael Floyd again carved up defenses in Minnesota and demonstrated truckloads of promise. But that was all it would or could be for some time: promise.

In the present, Notre Dame happens to be in the market for an explosive, game-breaking receiver, one of the many commodities absent from its arsenal in 2007. And Tate, who has arrived mentally, and Floyd, who has arrived literally, both happen to be available.

It's a matter of whether they're capable.

"No pressure," Floyd said. "People just demand more out of you, so you have to bring more out. Like everyone else, I'm just trying to go out there and make plays for the team and keep the chains going."

It would be a boon for the Irish if he or anyone else did. Tate averaged 21.2 yards per catch in 2007, but had only six grabs. Floyd averaged 20.4 yards per catch the last two autumns, but did so for Cretin-Derham Hall High School.

Meanwhile, excluding Tate, the Irish's four returning wideouts this year combined for 1,114 yards receiving in 2007, with a modest average of 10.2 yards per catch. Nationally in 2007, 40 individual receivers hit the 1,000-yard mark.

Irish coach Charlie Weis has said he wants to "pound it" with the run game. It becomes exponentially easier to "pound it," however, if you can "toss it" to someone who eats up mass quantities of yards in a single bite.

"That's important," Irish receivers coach Rob Ianello said of having a big-play receiver. "Stay tuned, and you can let me know what you think, if we have one."

Ianello was reminded it's probably more important what he thinks on that subject.

"All the guys at the top of the depth chart, at one time or another, have done some things in training camp where you say, 'Ooh, that's pretty impressive,'" Ianello said. "They've also done some things where you say, 'Ooh, that's not so impressive.' They've all had their moments."

Sophomore Duval Kamara and senior David Grimes top the depth chart, and there are countless reasons (quarterback arm strength, poor pass protection, etc.) for last year's big-play vacuum that have little to do with the receiving corps.

One simply suspects that Tate and Floyd offer something intangibly different. For Floyd, truly, there is no track record until the Sept. 6 opener against San Diego State.

Still, even as the 6-foot-3-inch, 215-pound freshman constantly demurs, "I'm just trying to help the team in any way possible," Floyd said the Irish speak about him with an eerie slyness, treating his ability like classified weaponry.

"Mike has been good in everything he has done since he has been here," Weis said.

"He's a great athlete," Irish quarterback Jimmy Clausen said. "He has been able to pick up the offense, and it's a pretty tough offense to pick up."

"He's a very special player," freshman quarterback Dayne Crist added. "He has opened a lot of eyes."

Tate did likewise as a freshman -- four of his six receptions in '07 were for 20-plus yards -- but his inability to grasp the nuances at receiver simply limited how much he could play.

This year Tate knows route adjustments and blocking schemes and can work on minutiae like sprinting out of cuts. He is, as he said, at last "understanding things."

When asked which pass routes he likes best, Tate hesitated for a second, but then relented: He still loves the "go" route, his chance to sear cornerbacks with his speed. But Tate tellingly added to that sentiment.

"I like the short routes because it gives me a chance to catch the ball, face up a defender and possibly make a move," he said. "A slant that's supposed to be a 3-yard gain, I can sometimes turn into a 15-, 20-yard gain. Maybe even break it."